Detournement

Detournement are an Eastcoast band with members from a host of familiar bands. Rather than focus on who they are, though, their music should speak for itself.

The fifty-one second opener, “Focus…Explosion!,” makes a quick impression, with melodic hardcore that’s over before you’ve found your seat. The lyrics aren’t exactly discernible, but I know both titular words were screamed with emphasis on the exclamation point. The rest of the record reminds me of Rancid V, with powerful guitars and angry group shouts. “Odessa” has a Matt Freeman-esque bass line, even if it sounds a bit tinny. The change of pace song, “No Estan Solo,” is slower with some soft spoken vocals that almost feel soothing compared with the rest of the record. The song takes a subtler approach, but it still fits in with the overall style due to its group vocals and upbeat tempo. It’s well placed in the middle of the record, which keeps the energy flowing, but allows some contemplation between burners. Just afterward is “A Dead Man Cries for Vengeance,” which shows a more straightforward hardcore influence, before returning to hyperfast group-sing with the union song “Stranglehold U.S.A.”

Detournement is definitely recommended for fans of Rancid, Street Dogs, and other solidarity-leaning street punk bands. They speed things up a little more than those bands and have a distinct East coast feel. The lyrics are political, more anthem than dissertation. It’s not original, but it’s well executed and catchy. I’m curious where the band will be in a couple albums if they stick around and separate themselves more from their influences.

7.0 / 10 — Loren